Blood cell analyzer with tube holder and cap piercer

ABSTRACT

A vial cap holder and cap piercer for holding vials of varying sizes sealed with pierceable caps, said holder comprising: a frame, a holder adjustably mounted to said frame, a plate mounted on said frame below said holder, the plate having an aperture, a cup mounted on top of said plate for receiving a pierceable cap of said vial, a retractable needle for piercing the pierceable cap of the vial and to communicate with the contents of the vial, a driver for extending and retracting said needle, and a tongue pivotally mounted to the holder, the tongue having a beveled surface for receiving the vial.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of nation stage application of PCT/US97/20645filed Nov. 14, 1997. This application claims priority to ProvisionalApplication No. 60/030,841, filed Nov. 15, 1996.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a diagnostic medical device, and in particularto a blood cell analyzer which by manual or automatic operationwithdraws and analyzes a minimal amount of blood that is stored in openor sealed vials with pierceable caps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Blood sample analysis systems are known in which the operator mustposition and hold in place tubes or vials of the samples to be analyzed.The systems include needles which pierce a closure on a sample tube toprovide communication between blood in the sample tube and the system.Such prior art systems expose operators to the risk of contamination andinfection from blood samples, as well as the risk of being cut by brokenglass or other shattered materials. In addition, the prior art systemscan only accept a limited number of sizes of tubes or vials.

It is desired to have a safer, more flexible means for positioning andholding blood sample tubes and vials during the cap piercing operation.Specifically, it is desired to have a holding and piercing apparatuswhich is "hands off" during the piercing operation, so as to preventexposure of the operator to contamination from the blood in the vialbeing penetrated. It is also desired to improve the safety of such anapparatus by incorporating a safety interlock system. It is also desiredto make it easier to insert and remove tubes or vials from the holder.It also is desired to have more flexibility to analyze samples from manysizes of vials or tubes (e.g., from 10.25×64 mm to 16×100 mm).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a blood cell analyzer which by manual orautomatic operation withdraws and analyzes a minimal amount of bloodthat is stored in open or sealed vials. The analyzer includes a manuallyoperated self cleaning sampling device for open vials and an automatedself cleaning sampling device for sealed vials fitted with a pierceablecap. The analyzer further includes a red blood cell counter, white bloodcell counter, hemoglobin detector, valving system, and electroniccontroller. The blood cell analyzer further includes features forprecisely measuring and mixing whole blood or prediluted blood withdiluent as needed in order to analyze the blood sample

The present invention includes an apparatus for holding vials of varyingsizes sealed with pierceable caps and for piercing the caps of thevials. The apparatus comprises a frame, holder, plate, cup, needle,driver, and an interlocking safety switch.

The frame has upper and lower ends. The holder is adjustably mounted onthe upper end of the frame and is adapted to receive and hold the outersurface of a vial opposite the pierceable cap which seals the vial. Theplate, which has an aperture in it, is mounted on the frame below theholder.

A cup is mounted on the top of the plate. The bottom of the cup has anaperture aligned with the aperture in the plate. The cup is adapted toreceive the pierceable cap which seals the vial.

The needle is adapted to pierce the pierceable cap of the vial and tocommunicate with the contents of the vial. The needle is extendable andretractable through the apertures in the plate and the cup.

A driver, such as an electric motor, which extends and retracts theneedle, is interlocked with the holder by a safety switch. The drivercannot extend the needle through the aperture in the cup whenever a vialis not held by the holder.

The apparatus may also include a needle cartridge assembly below theplate. The needle cartridge assembly has a lower end, a body, and anupper end, the top of which has an aperture aligned with the aperture inthe plate. The body of the needle cartridge assembly contains the needleand a biasing means for engaging the needle and biasing the needle awayfrom the pierceable cap of the vial. The biasing means may be acompression spring, such as a coil spring.

The apparatus may also include a rinse system for cleaning the needle.The needle cartridge assembly is connected to a rinse passage forselectively communicating a rinse fluid to the needle. The needle may becontained in a chamber within the needle cartridge assembly. The chamberis connected to the rinse passage, through which the rinse fluid isinjected in one direction into the chamber, and from which the rinsefluid is withdrawn in another direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings. The drawings show one embodiment of theinvention as presently preferred. However, it should be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentality shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of blood cell analyzer having a vial holderand cap piercer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a vial holder and cap piercer accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the electric controls of the vialholder and cap piercer device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates various types and sizes of vials sealed withpierceable caps.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a vial holder and cap piercer deviceillustrating several features of the present invention, including theframe, holder, plate, and driver motor.

FIGS. 5A illustrates a bevel shaped tongue portion of a holder and arecess for receiving and holding a vial according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5B illustrates a bevel shaped tongue portion of a holder and arecess holding a vial according to the present invention.

FIG. 6A illustrate a top view of a plate illustrating keyed openingswith bayonet ramps according to the present invention.

FIG. 6B illustrate a side view of the plate illustrated in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a cup with locking device according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 7B illustrates a bottom view of the cup shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A illustrates a needle and hub assembly according to the presentinvention in a retracted position.

FIG. 8B illustrates the front portion of the needle and hub assemblyshown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A illustrates a needle and hub assembly according to the presentinvention in an extended position.

FIG. 9B illustrates the front portion of the needle and hub assemblyshown in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 illustrates eccentric positioning of a needle cartridge assemblyaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, where like elements are identified by likenumerals, there is shown in FIG. 1 a blood cell analyzer 10 having avial holder and cap piercer device 11 according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the variable size vial holder andcap piercer 11. This apparatus comprises a frame 12, an adjustableholder 14, a top plate 16, a cup 18, an extendable and retractableneedle 20, and a driver 22 for extending and retracting the needle 20. Amulti-lobe cam 22a with associated position switches 24 is used todetect needle position. In addition, a safety switch 24a is used forinterlocking the driver with the holder 14 so that the driver 22 cannotextend the needle 20 when a vial 23 is not fully engaged in and held bythe holder 14.

In one aspect of the invention, an important feature is provided wherethe closed end of the vial 23 opposite the capped end trips the safetyswitch 24a, and that the tongue 34 alone can not enable the needle 20 toextend.

The frame 12 in the preferred embodiment includes two ways 26, which areupright members mounted on a base 28. The ways 26 are connected at thetop plate 16 by a block 30. The holder 14 is adjustably mounted on theupper end of the frame 12. The cup 18 and the holder 14 is designed toreceive and hold a vial 23, also referred to as a tube, such as thoseshown in FIG. 3. The tubes shown in FIG. 3 range in size from 10.5×64 mmto 16×100 mm. The tubes are sealed with caps 25 which are typically aremade of a pierceable material, such as rubber or plastic. The holder 14is designed to receive and hold the outer surface of a vial or tube 23opposite the pierceable cap 25 which seals the vial or tube when the cap25 is seated in the cup 18.

In the preferred embodiment, the holder 14 is an over center springloaded mechanism of the configuration shown in FIG. 4. The holder 14includes a U-shaped clamp 32 adjustably mounted to the frame 12 and anoblong-shaped tongue 34 mounted between two arms 33 of the clamp 32. Thetongue 34 is retained in the clamp 32 by a pin 36 which extends acrossthe width of the clamp 32. The tongue 34 has a beveled surface 35 andpivots about the axis of the pin 36. A spring 38 on one side of theholder 14 biases the tongue 34 in either the closed or open position asshown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. The capped end of the vial 23 is insertedinto the cup 18 as the vial 23 is pivoted into contact with the tongue34. The vial 23 is held into position as the tongue 34 pivots into itsopen and closed position as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The vial 23 isremoved from the holder 14 by reversing this process.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the underside of the tongue 34 has a recess 31,also referred to as an indentation, for receiving and holding the outersurface of a vial 23 opposite the pierceable cap 25 which seals the vial23. When the surface of a vial contacts the beveled surface 35 of thetongue 34, the tongue 34 rotates or flips into the open position asshown in FIG. 5A. Further movement of the vial 23 into the holder causescontact to be made with the recessed 31 portion of the tongue 34. As thevial 23 is pivoted further into the holder 11 the tongue 34 in turnmoves into the closed position as shown in FIG. 5B.

In the preferred embodiment, an adjustable handle 40 is mounted on onearm of the U-shaped clamp 32 opposite the spring 38. The adjustablehandle 40 is used to reposition the holder 14, which can be moved higheror lower on the frame 12 to adjust for different sizes of tubes orvials. In addition, the adjustable handle 40 may be spring loaded. Whenthe holder 14 is moved to the desired position, it is locked in place.In the preferred embodiment, the adjustable handle 40 lifts and adjuststo 18 detent positions in 360°, so that the angle can be positioned foroperator convenience.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a plate 16 is mounted on the frame 12 andbelow the holder 14. In the preferred embodiment, the plate 16 has akeyed opening 42 with bayonet ramps 43 which are shown in FIG. 6. Thekeyed opening 42 in plate 16 is for receiving the cup 18 which is shownin detail in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The opening 42 engages the cup's 18locking device 44 which is typically located at the bottom of cup 18.The locking device 44 is inserted in the keyed opening 42 and rotated sothat the ramped edges 45 of the locking device 44 lock with the bayonetramps 43 of the keyed opening 42 of plate 16.

Rotation of the cup 18 in the opposite direction unlocks the lockingdevice 44 allowing removal of the cup 18. Different size cups 18 may bemounted on the plate 16 for receiving the pierceable caps 25 on vials 23like those shown in FIG. 3. It has been found that two different cupsizes are adequate to handle the range of tube sizes shown in FIG. 3. Inone aspect, a cup 18 may be used to accept standard size tubes under a 3milliliter volume, and another cup may be used to accept standard sizetubes that are 3 milliliter in volume or greater. The cup 18 has atapered shape which helps guide a tube or vial into position when placedin the holder 14. In the preferred embodiment, the cup 18 is made of aclear glass-smooth injection molded polycarbonate or acrylic. As shownin FIG. 7B, the bottom of the cup 18 has a small aperture aligned withthe hole in plate 16 that allows the needle 20 to pierce the cap 25 of avial.

In the invention includes a needle cartridge assembly 48 as shown inFIG. 8A. The needle cartridge assembly 48 includes a needle 20, and aneedle cartridge body 53 with a stepped nosepiece 47 and a needlecartridge assembly 48. The needle 20 is attached to a hub assembly 46that moves within the needle cartridge assembly 48. The needle 20 isextendable and retractable through apertures 41, 42 which are located inthe top plate 16 and the cup 18 respectively. Referring to FIG. 9A, theneedle 20 may be extended to pierce the cap 25 of the vial 23 that isheld by the holder 14. The needle 20 is extended so that the needle 20may communicate with the contents of the vial 23.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the needle hub assembly 46 is mountedwithin a needle cartridge assembly 48 which is positioned below plate16. The needle cartridge assembly 48 has a lower end 51, a body 53, andan upper end 47, the top of which has an aperture 49 aligned with theaperture 42 in plate 16. The body 53 of the needle cartridge assembly 48contains the needle 20 and a biasing means 50 for engaging the needle20. The biasing means 50 applies a bias to the needle 20 retracting itaway from the pierceable cap 25 of the vial 23. In addition, needlecartridge assembly 48 can be removable from the holder 14.

As a safety feature, the biasing means 50 will retract the needle intothe needle cartridge assembly 48 whenever the cartridge assembly 48 isremoved from the holder 14. In one aspect of the invention, the biasingmeans 50 may be a coil compression spring.

In one aspect of the invention as shown in FIG. 10, the needle 20 ispositioned concentrically with respect to the needle cartridge assembly48, but eccentrically with respect to the center longitudinal axis ofthe vial 23 and its cap 25. As an example, in FIG. 9B the nosepiece 47is shown to be made eccentric with needle cartridge assembly 48. Thisdesign allows the needle 20 to extend and retract eccentrically withrespect to the center axis of the cap 25. This feature prevents thepierceable caps 25 of the vials 23 to be pierced in the same location,typically the center of the vial's cap 25 when multiple samples aretaken from the same vial. After the cap 23 has been pierced and a sampledrawn the needle 20 is retracted.

In order to extract a precise amount of sample a circuit is formed bythe sample which is conductive, the needle 20 which is conductive, and asecond electrode (not shown) located at a fixed distance from the needlein and along a confined path formed by the sample as it is drawn fromthe vial 23. The sample may be drawn through a non-conductive tube madeof plastic or rubber. As the sample is drawn from the vial 23 throughthe needle 20 the sample comes in contact with the second electrode toform a closed circuit between the conductive needle and-the other secondelectrode. The closed conductive path is used to indicate that a preciseamount of sample has been drawn.

In one example, a current can be applied to the needle through pin 56and carried by the fluid to the electrode down stream. When the currentreaches the electrode it can be used to indicate that a sufficientamount of fluid has been drawn and/or that the needle 20 should bewithdrawn. As the needle 20 is withdrawn its outer surface is cleaned bya squeegee effect produced by the material of pierceable cap 23 which istypically made of rubber or plastic.

Referring to FIGS. 8B and 9B, a rinse system is used to clean the insideof the needle 20. In the preferred embodiment, the needle cartridgeassembly 48 is connected to a rinse passage 52 for selectivelycommunicating a rinse fluid to the needle 20. The needle 20 may becontained in a chamber within the needle cartridge assembly 48. Thechamber is connected to the rinse passage 52 through which the rinsefluid is injected in one direction into the chamber, and from which therinse fluid is withdrawn in another direction. A first pump (not shown)is used to inject the rinse fluid through the rinse passage 52. A second(not shown) pump is used to withdraw the rinse fluid.

Referring to FIG. 4, movement of the needle 20 is controlled by a driver22 which causes the needle 20 to extend and retract. In a preferredembodiment the driver 22 includes an electric motor 21. The motor 21 hasa shaft that is connected to a scotch yoke mechanism 54, whichtranslates rotary motion to linear motion. Needle 20 rides on a pin 56connected to the scotch yoke mechanism 54 causing the needle 20 to moveup or down during operation. Movement of the needle 20 is controlled byelectric circuitry illustrated in FIG. 2A. Switches 24 are used tocontrol the piercing and retracting strokes of the needle 20.

For example, to indicate needle position, one switch is open when theneedle 20 is fully retracted, while another switch is open when theneedle 20 is fully extended. A safety switch 24a interlocks the driver22 with holder 14. When the tongue 34 of the holder 14 is in the openposition, safety switch 24a is open, and needle 20 cannot be extendedthrough the aperture in cup 18. When a vial or tube is placed in holder14 and the tongue 34 moves to the closed position, switch 24a closes,allowing driver 22 to extend the needle 20 to pierce the pierceable capof the vial.

Prior to running samples, the operator should adjust the height of theholder 14 to fit the size of the vials to be tested. The operatorloosens the clamp handle 40, allowing the holder 14 to slide on the ways26 and moves the holder 14 upward or downward. A vial is then placed inthe cup 18 (cap end down). The opposite end of the vial is positioned inthe holder 14 until the interlock switch 24a is tripped. The springapplying a bias off the center axis of the tongue 34 keeps it in eitheran open or closed position in the holder 14.

After inserting the cap end of a vial or tube in the cup 18, theoperator pivots the opposite end of the vial or tube into the holder 14.When the tongue 34 is in the open position, the tube or vial firstcontacts the beveled front of the tongue 34 and kicks it open. With thetongue 34 in the open position the capped end of the vial 23 enters andis engaged by the conical-shaped pocket area of cup 18, and with apivoting motion is further inserted to close the holder 14. As theclosed uncapped end of the vial moves into the recessed portion of thetongue 34 of the holder 14, it trips the recessed interlock switch 24a,which enables the electric motor drive 22 to function. The vial seatssecurely and stays in position until the needle 20 is fully retracted.The operator may then remove the vial from the holder 14. If an attemptis made to remove the vial 23 from the holder 14 when the cap 25 isbeing pierced, the interlocking switch 24a will disable the motor drive22 to prevent injury to the operator by unintended movement of theneedle 20.

The present invention may be embodied in other variant forms where thevariation does not substantially differentiate from the essentialnovelty and uniqueness revealed in the foregoing disclosure. Referenceshould therefore be made to the appendant claims rather than theforegoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention. Itshould be understood that many modifications, variations and changes maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for holding vials of varying sizessealed with pierceable caps and for piercing the caps of the vials,comprising:a frame having upper and lower ends; a holder adjustablymounted on the upper end of said frame, the holder for receiving andholding the outer surface of a vial opposite the pierceable cap of saidvial, said holder comprising a U-shaped member, where a tongue having abody with a beveled surface and a recess for receiving and holding theouter surface of said vial is pivotally engaged with the U-shaped memberof said holder, and a spring is connected to the tongue and the U-shapedmember on one side of the holder for biasing the tongue in a closedposition when said vial is engaged by the holder: a plate mounted onsaid frame below said holder, the plate having an aperture; a cupmounted on top of said plate, the bottom of the cup having an aperturealigned with the aperture in the plate, said cup for receiving thepierceable cap of said vial; a needle extendable and retractable throughthe apertures in said plate and said cup, the needle for piercing thepierceable cap of the vial and to communicate with the contents of saidvial; a driver for extending and retracting said needle; and a safetyswitch interlocking said driver with said holder such that said drivercannot extend said needle through the aperture in said cap whenever saidvial is not held by the holder.
 2. The apparatus as in claim 1, furthercomprising:a needle cartridge assembly below said plate, said needlecartridge assembly having a lower end, a body, and an upper end, the topof the upper end of said needle cartridge assembly having an aperturealigned with the aperture in the plate, wherein the body of said needlecartridge assembly contains said needle; and a biasing means within thebody of said needle cartridge assembly for engaging said needle andbiasing the needle away from the pierceable cap of the vial.
 3. Theapparatus as in claim 2, further comprising a rinse passage, whereinsaid needle cartridge assembly is connected to said rinse passage forselectively communicating a rinse fluid to said needle to clean saidneedle.
 4. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said needle is containedin a chamber within said needle cartridge assembly and said chamber isconnected to said rinse passage.
 5. The apparatus as in claim 1, whereinthe U-shaped member of the holder is adjustably mounted to the frame ofthe apparatus.
 6. An apparatus for holding vials of varying sizes sealedwith pierceable caps and for piercing the caps of the vials,comprising:a frame; a holder adjustably mounted to said frame; and atongue pivotally mounted to the holder, the tongue having a beveledsurface for receiving a vial and a recess for holding the outer surfaceof a vial; wherein a vial is inserted into the holder so that the outersurface of the vial contacts the beveled surface of the tongue causingthe tongue to pivot into an open position, the tongue remains in theopen position until the vial makes contact with the recess of the tonguecausing the tongue to pivot again into a closed position and hold thevial.
 7. The apparatus as in claim 6, further comprising a spring on oneside of the holder to bias the tongue in a closed position.
 8. Theapparatus as in claim 6, further comprising:a plate mounted on the framebelow the holder, the plate having an aperture; and a cup mounted on topof the plate, the bottom of the cup having an aperture aligned with theaperture in the plate, wherein said cup receives the pierceable cap ofsaid vial.
 9. The apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising:a needleextendable and retractable through the apertures in the plate and thecup, the needle for piercing the pierceable cap of the vial and towithdraw a sample from said vial; a driver for extending and retractingthe needle; and a safety switch interlocking the driver with the holdersuch that the driver cannot extend the needle through the aperture inthe cap whenever said vial is not held by the holder.
 10. The apparatusas in claim 6, further comprising:a needle cartridge assembly mounted tothe frame, said needle cartride assembly having a needle for piercingthe cap in the vial, and having a lower end, a body, and an upper end,the top of the upper end having an aperture aligned along a longitudinalaxis of the cap, wherein the body of the needle cartridge assemblycontains the needle; and biasing means within the body of the needlecartridge assembly for engaging the needle and biasing the needle in aretracted position away from the pierceable cap of the vial.
 11. Theapparatus as in claim 10, wherein the needle cartridge assembly isremovable.
 12. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the needlecartridge assembly is maintained in a retracted position by the biasingmeans whenever the needle cartridge assembly is removed from the holder.13. The apparatus as in claim 10, further comprising a rinse passage,wherein the needle cartridge assembly is connected to said rinse passagefor selectively communicating a rinse fluid to the needle to clean theneedle.
 14. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the needle iscontained in a chamber within the needle cartridge assembly and thechamber is connected to the rinse passage.
 15. The apparatus as in claim6, wherein the holder is mounted to the frame by a U-shaped member andthe tongue further comprises a body portion on which the beveled surfaceis located, said body portion being pivotally engaged with said U-shapedmember, and a spring is mounted on said U-shaped member on one side ofthe holder and connected to said tongue for biasing the tongue in aclosed position when said vial is engaged by the holder.
 16. Theapparatus as in claim 15, wherein the U-shaped member of the holder isadjustably mounted to the frame of the apparatus.
 17. The apparatus ofin claim 9, wherein said needle and said sample being withdrawn fromsaid vial form a portion of a conductive path.
 18. The apparatus as inclaim 17, wherein a current is applied to the needle through a pin, saidcurrent being indicative of an amount of sample being withdrawn fromsaid vial.